Insider Spotlight
Gordon, who was instrumental in bringing FedEx to the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in the 1990s, paid tribute to Fred Smith in a Facebook post on June 24, 2025, calling the American entrepreneur a "visionary" whose belief in the Philippines helped catalyze one of the country's most significant foreign investments in the post-US base era.
“Meeting him, working with him, and bringing FedEx to Subic—transforming it into FedEx’s global hub—remains one of the happiest and most meaningful chapters of my life,” Gordon wrote.
The former senator recalled his first meeting with Smith during a site visit in Subic. Smith reportedly asked him whether China was pursuing regional dominance and whether the runway could be rebuilt within a year. After being introduced to a local volunteer, Smith was convinced of the project’s viability.
“Fred came back to me energized and simply said, ‘When and where do I sign on the dotted line?’” Gordon recounted.
The deal was signed in New York in 1994, a milestone that Gordon described as emotional.
“All the volunteers, young and old, poured their hearts into bringing FedEx to Subic,” he said. The first FedEx cargo plane landed at Subic Bay International Airport on April 30, 1995.
According to Gordon, the runway—originally built for US Navy jets—was reinforced with a foot of concrete to accommodate the weight of FedEx’s cargo aircraft. Other improvements included upgraded radar, lighting, and navigational systems, completed in under two years with support from a World Bank loan.
Gordon also reflected on the symbolism of the project, saying it was “never just about logistics or contracts,” but about showcasing what Filipinos could achieve.
“It was a sincere effort to show what Filipinos can achieve when we work together,” he said.
The FedEx Subic hub ceased operations in 2009 after the logistics giant decided to move to Guangzhou to better serve China’s larger market. Gordon said he personally returned to Subic to bid farewell to the last departing plane.
“I drove down from Manila just to wave it off—and cried again,” he said.
Fred Smith’s death, Gordon said, closes a chapter that had helped shape the Philippines’ role in regional trade and logistics.
